Beijing to mark camera monitored zones

Source: Xinhuanet | 07-25-2007 14:19

BEIJING, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Signs depicting a "black eye" will be put up next month in camera monitored venues in Beijing, accompanied with words in Chinese and English "you are entering a camera monitored zone."

The signs aim to remind the public to mind their behaviors in public places and remind them of the necessity to protect their privacy in these places.

Before the 2008 Olympics, all monitoring cameras in the city's public places will come under a unified three-tier management system, namely management systems at municipality, district and street levels, no matter what departments these cameras formerly belong to.

The municipal transport, public security, public utilities and city order maintenance departments all have their own cameras.

According to the municipal public security bureau, suspicious acts or objects detected by the cameras will be automatically reported to the command center.

Intimate acts of lovers may be initially categorized as "kidnapping" or "robbery" by the computers, which are programmed to be sensitive to violations of "safe distance," and reported to the command center. Policemen on duty will decide what actions to take depending on whether there are real dangerous situations or not.

Editor:Du Xiaodan